Tag Archives: Bobby Roy Photography

I’ve been to Ladakh on a few occasions earlier, but somehow every-time I go there, I discover something new, something exciting, something which I’ve never discovered on my earlier trips. And generally, I prefer driving to Ladakh instead of just comfortably taking a flight and landing in Leh. Driving/ ridng to the place makes you see a myriad of things and makes you experience a lot. You get to see different places, you get to meet new people on your way (and hopefully make friends), and ofcourse, you get to do it all at your own leisure.

Well, this post isn’t really the travelogue so to speak, but more of a prologue to what is to come – a proper full-blown travelogue and photographs about Ladakh and ofcourse the short travel film about #Ladakh which I’m editing as I type this. That would take about 2 more weeks to complete; till then, I would like you all to look through these few pictures and a small video which I managed to film, and is dedicated to the friends that I’ve lost.

The following are just a few pictures which I wanted to share. The rest shall be shared with the travel-story, and also IN the film that I’m editing right now. 🙂 Till then, please enjoy these.

*Read the entire post (especially the last lines) to find something really interesting; yes, a possible give-away! Make sure you leave a comment or two regarding anything interesting (regarding travel – like your favorite city, any tips for fellow travellers, etc.) in the comment section below*

I’ve always been in love with the Himalayas ever since I can remember. As a child, I always used to get excited whenever the entire family would take vacations, especially anywhere in the Himalayas. As years passed by, I became heavily inclined and got introduced to my creative side, and writing & photography took the front seat as far as my passion and profession was concerned.

Ever since then, I have been going back to the Himalayas to frame them, and to write more in-depth about them, each time a little more than the last time. And every time I go there, I feel I leave a part of my being there while coming back. They are just magical! Photography in the Himalayas has been a major turning point for me when it comes to falling head over heels in love with the beautiful mountains. And hence, I wanted to share 3 top tips that I could perhaps think of, at this point of time, for photography in the Himalayas. These are not really “rules” or hard-wired tips as such; rather, these are the 3 points that I could think of right now w.r.t photography & the Himalayas.

Golden Hour is good but don’t be afraid of the so called ‘hard light’ – Yes, we all know how all pictures (especially landscapes) can get that great depth and colors, if photographed during the so called “golden hours” (just before dawn & moments after dusk), but that should not stop you from photographing the mountains or the magical landscapes during the peak time of the day, afternoon, or when the light is not ideal. Impressive panoramic vistas of snow-capped peaks lining the horizon, multi-coloured rock layers and ridges poking through the deep blankets of snow which envelop the upper reaches of the mountains, violent winds whipping snow up in a plum as they strip the exposed peaks bare; All this set against customary deep blue skies sparsely populated with rising puffy cumulus clouds in the afternoon heat, coupled with a turquoise lake or two, it’s all about contrast and how could it not be photogenic under harsh light? In fact it’s at its most photogenic under the harsh midday sun!

Black & White – Yes, I know how colors and everything related to colors look fantastic. But, trust me when I say, black & white has its own charm. Next time you are in the Himalayas, just try and photograph the snow-clad mountains with the dark blue sky and then eventually turn it into a pure black & white image. And you’ll see how amazing it actually looks.

Well, explore! – This tip is not really related to photography per se, but it is true for travelling in general. When you are done travelling through the normal routes, try and explore. Try and find out different paths, get off the beaten path and trust me, you’ll discover an entirely new world. I know I discovered such amazing vistas, met so many new and interesting people and got some great pictures, just because I took the ‘road less taken’.

If you have any other interesting tips to share with me, please do leave a comment below. Or maybe you can tell me about your favourite cities. Please share your views in the comment section, and I just might have something interesting to ‘give-away’ in my next blog post!

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What, according to you, is a perfect camera bag? A bag large enough to carry all the equipment this world has to offer? A bag slim enough to not really get noticed and perhaps carry one camera body and a prime lens attached to it, for easy access and picture taking? Or perhaps a sling back which looks stylish and performs just as well? When I started my market research for that “perfect” camera back-pack, I had my requirements crystal clear: Since I already had a large back in the shape of the Lowepro 350AW to carry most of my equipment with me, if there is any need for it, I wanted a much smaller back-pack, which would easily hold a couple of camera bodies with 2-3 additional lenses (prime/ small zooms), a Speedlite, remotes, filters, memory carsds, and if possible, my 15-inch laptop/ Apple iPad.

I was really impressed with the range of products that Kata manufacturers and since I’ve heard only good things about the company, I decided to give it a try. And they seem to have just such a backpack which fit my needs perfectly; the Kata DR-466-DL. It is a really compact (for a camera bag), sleek, stylish, spacious bag which satisfies all my needs perfectly. And after travelling with the bag for over a week out of town, and on a photo-assignment, I am satisfied that I made the right choice. Now, I will not really delve into the technical side of it, as to how much it weighs, or how much it sized at, but I’d love to give you an actual hands-on experience of the beautiful bag.

Size-wise, it is similar to a normal laptop backpack, and weights in a LOT lighter than my Lowepro 350AW. Weight is one of my major concerns, when I was looking out for a camera backpack, since I usually need to carry my backpack on my back/ shoulder for quite some-time while I am shooting, and the 350AW just didn’t let me do it, without hurting my back only after 30 minutes of constant carrying. But, with the DR-466 on my back, I hardly noticed it being there; this thing is just so light! It is really easy to carry and store as well, because of its compactness.

But, please don’t think that if a bag is compact and light, it is not spacious or durable. The KT-266DL is both spacious and durable too! As you can see from the pictures below, there is a main camera carrying compartment at the lowest area of the bag which is big enough to carry two camera bodies of moderate size, and three prime lenses/ one zoom, two prime setup. In the picture below, the compartment easily fits a 5D Classic, 50mm, 85mm, and a 35mm lens along with a 400D body which is not clearly visible in the picture. It also fits in a 7D and a 24-70 2.8L lens comfortably, if I remove one prime lens from the setup. Yes, I probably cannot carry a 70-200 2.8 along with all that, but then again, for carrying my much heavier equipment, I have the 350 AW (Lowepro). This bag is solely meant to carry limited equipment, and travel light and comfortably.

Next, the two small pockets on the middle of the bag can be used to store anything, from remote flash releases to your business cards, to a note, pen, etc. while the top two compartments are big enough to hold a wallet, your cell phone, and other accessories. There is then the laptop compartment which easily fits my HCL 15-inch laptop, along with my iPad, as well as a host of filters, a Speedlite and other nitty-gritties. What has impressed me more than the space is the fact that the weight is distributed so evenly on the shoulders even after filling the bag to the brim, that I can hardly feel a thing! I am impressed!

Quality wise, there is absolutely nothing to complain. It is made of solid stuff, the zips are of high quality, and what’s more, it also comes with a all-weather cover built in right inside the bag. So, you don’t really need to take care of the cover or be apprehensive about losing it.

It’s been about 2 weeks that I have been regularly using the Kata bag, and I have only been completely satisfied. I, now use the Lowepro 350AW to store the equipment in my home and use the Kata completely, to carry my equipment on shoots. Priced at just over Rs.7,000/- (New Delhi), it is pretty steeply priced, but then again, like they say, “Quality hardly comes cheap, if ever…”

Note: Thanks to Writex India and its Product Manager, Mr.Jasmeet Chopra who personally helped me making a decision on the kind of bag that best suited me. It is their dedicated team of professionals, who really helped me in showing different bag models from manufacturers like Kata, Manfrott, National Geographic, etc. and helped me making a wise decision. Thanks, Writex! 🙂

It was another proud moment for me, as I gave a photography talk on “automotive photography” and general “photography as a career”, for a photography festival held by the wonderful people at Orgy Entertainment. This was a long photography festival which went on for almost 2 months, and concluded with this wonderful seminar at the PSK Auditorium at Preet Vihar, New Delhi, today.

I love interacting with people, enthusiasts who are really interested in Photography, and it was but natural that I spoke to them about what automotive photography is all about and how photography as a career has changed my life, and my outlook towards life too. It was, overall a wonderful experience to see so many enthusiastic souls attending this wonderful seminar and photography talk. Here is a photo of me holding the momento which Orgy Entertainment honored me with after the seminar.

Cheers.

Bobby Roy holding the momento presented after the photography seminar by Orgy Entertainment.